Help Me Breathe Again
by haleydavisbaker
Summary: 8x11 one-shot: my version of how Brulian cope with Brooke's near-drowning. A little Naley and Jamie.


**8x11 one shot**

_**Help me breathe again.**_

**It has taken a little while to get this up because i just went thru my first college finals week ever! i did well so im very happy now :)**

**ill update my normal brulian story Baker Life asap too **

**so... my thoughts**

**OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OTH EPISODE 8x11 WAS AMAZING! **

**I LOVED how jamie threw the spelling bee for his crush madison. I loved that brulian actually had a realistic fight, i LOVED the jamie/brooke scenes and brooke being motherly with the kids (oh yeah what happened to concussion-chuck and lauren BTW!), and haley being sad jamie is growing up, and the car crash AFTER the car crash I was NOT expecting ( i thought brooke was going to get electricuted, not thrown off the bridge with jamie! LOL), julian saving jamie & brooke while apologizing and saying 'we'll stay in tree hill you and me! And i'm never leaving you again'. It was his way of saying 'whatever you want, baby as long as you live!' I could have cared less about the katie/quinn but even that fight scene was entertaining, i'd say. **

****The BRULIAN scenes were crazy good and exhilerating and amazing! I was jumping out of my seat, my heart was racing, i wanted to see MORE AND MORE AND MORE! When brooke told julian to save jamie because 'he's only a boy!', it was so touching. When he was giving air to brooke underwater, i was reeling. When he carried her out of the water and she was hanging there, i couldnt stay in my seat (It was kinda a Twilight moment for me too lol). When he was giving her CPR, i was shaking. When Julian cried cause he though brooke was dead, I cried. It was intense. **

**Jamie TOTALLY said 'aunt brooke is DYING' in the promo but in the real EPISODE he said she was DEAD! I internally knew they wouldnt kill of brooke, shes the only origional & main storyline besides Naley, but i was scared for a minute. When Julian stopped and his head dropped to her chest, i thought it was over. And I was overjoyed that when her hand moved, he restarted CPR and she coughed up the water. I was hoping theyd show brooke at the hospital, but i heard the next episode will be a month in the future IN the show. Im actually very upset that we didnt see more of the hospital... cause brooke is def in danger of infection or pneumonia or other stuff.. and what about her leg? Was it just stuck or did it break? AND, judging by the look on julians face at the end of the episode, he's going to be traumatized for awhile. i cant wait to see if this whole thing makes him paraniod/depressed/clingy. it would be sooooo adorable if he had nighmares about it when the show comes back, if he can even sleep, and brooke was basically uneffected. **

**SO THIS IS THE REASON FOR THIS ONE-SHOT. So when the show comes back Jan 25, this is the story i will pretend really did happen during the time we didnt get to see LOL**

**OMG I don't think i can wait till JAN 25. I cant handle the huge haituses..even when its for christmas! But i guess this one-shot, my other story, the spoilers and the celeb twitters will HAVE TO be enough. (PS. if you have spoilers for OTH episodes 12 and on, id love to hear them, but send them in a MESSAGE as to not ruin it for others who dont like spoilers!) **

**im already having OTH withdrawals :(**

**;**

******EXTRA SPECIAL THANK YOU TO STAGEDIVA23 for her great ideas and for her encouragement to do this one-shot.  
It's fun to know that someone out there loves Brulian and OTH as much as I do and still balances finals too :)**

**;**

**I don't own OTH but boy, if santa could give me anything, that would be what I'd ask for. Or maybe I'd settle for just Julian ;) **

**OTH season 8, episode 8x11**

**__****Help me breathe again.**

His head dropped and was now resting on her chest, her perfect chest. Grasping at any chance of hope in the warmth her body still possessed, even despite the rain.

He failed. His CPR wasnt working. It was his fault. It must be. He was supposed to be her savior. It was his job as her future husband. It was his greatest wish.

He was a sensitive guy, but he hadn't cried since he was a boy. Until now. Tears mixed with the pouring rain and the wetness of Brooke's soaked-through sweater.

He was paralyzed with fear. Fear of losing her and facing an unlivable life alone without her. He prayed that it was him dying, not her. He should have stopped her from leaving the house. He should have gotten to the bridge faster. He should have stopped that car from hitting them. He shouldnt have been relaxed when he thought they were safely at the bottom of the river before the levee broke. He should have gotten jamie out faster. He should have given her more air- all the air he had in his body.

He opened his eyes and saw the ring he'd given to her in Utah. Through the horror of this storm, it still glistened. Brooke was sure to keep it sparkling clean.

Then the saw the ring move. The ring that was attached to her cold, wet hand.

"Come on Brooke!"

He tried again with the chest compressions, mouth to mouth, and compressions again.

"COME ON BROOKE! LIVE!"

At the words, water spurted out of her mouth and up onto her face, as Brooke coughed. She lurched forward, coughing mercilessly. Julian's reflex caused his to grab her and bring her into the crock of his neck, where she always belonged. Safe and sound.

Brooke cried and coughed into his chest, bring her once-lifeless hand up to grab his neck.

"Baby baby baby breathe baby breathe"

Nothing in all of Julian's life had ever been better. He could almost breathe again himself.

Nathan and Haley had ran towards them and were standing above the couple now. Julian couldnt hear what they were saying. He was too busy concentration on the breathe sounds of his fiance.

He didnt really know how long they sat there, him rocking her back and forth. But it didnt seem long enough.

Soon the ambulance came. Jamie yelled something about how Miss Lauren did send help.

The EMTs approached the couple, Jamie was telling the police officer exactly what had happened in the water and how he thought his Aunt Brooke died.

The parametics pushed Julian away and neither he or Brooke liked it. The EMTs covered Brooke with warming blankets and lifted her gently onto the stretcher. They asked her questions but she really didnt respond. She just shook her head and shouted out for her fiance.

"Julian..." Brooke called to him as she was safely strapped to the stretcher outside the ambulance.

"I'm right here. And I'm not going anywhere." He promised.

Julian boarded the ambulance. When Brooke's stretcher was safely inside, he gazed into her lively eyes. He grabbed her hand, kissing it slowly.

Julian watched Brooke's eyes closed and he got nervous. "Brooke?"

She blinked. "Stay awake for me, baby."

"My leg..."

The EMT worker lifted to see her leg and noticed the blood seeping through her corderoys now that they were out of the rain. She cut the leg part of her pants off just above the knee. It revealed a swollen, purplish knee and a pretty good gash in Brooke's shin.

"This leg was stuck in the car, I assume?" The EMT asked, having heard Jamie's story since he yelled it so loud.

Brooke nodded.

"Yeah...I kind of yanked it out when she went unconscious..." Julian explained, his voice softening with each word, unable to look at anything but his soaked shoes.

Brooke reached out to touch his shirt. "Hey..." He looked up at her.

"I'm okay. You saved me. I'm not going anywhere."

Brooke took a sharp breath in. The EMT worker placed an oxygen mask over Brooke's nose and mouth, securing it around the back of her head.

"This will hopefully make you more comfortable."

Brooke relaxed her head against the stretcher a bit.

Julian shook his head. She didn't really know what happened or how long she was out for... or how long it took that damn CPR to work.

Or how he'd almost lost hope.

.

When the ambulance pulled up to the hospital, Brooke's stretcher was quickly pulled out and she was wisked away behind the white doors. Julian didn't care that the nurses tried to stop him from following...or that they were probably calling security now. There was no way he was leaving Brooke now.

When they reached a cubicle, the doctors attended to Brooke, evaluating her mental and physical state. They started yelling things back and forth to one another, about stitches and pneumonia and MRIs and CT scans and possible infections. Julian's head was spinning and he could see Brooke's was too.

It wasn't long before a large male orderly made his way into the room, telling Julian he had to leave.

"I'm not leaving her! There's no way!" Julian yelled, grabbing onto Brooke's wrist.

"Sir. Don't make me physically remove you..."

This guy was big. Plus he wanted the attention of the doctors on caring for his fiance, not on him. Julian cut his losses after weighing his options... or lackthereof. He turned to Brooke as a doctor was listening to her breath sounds and heart with a stethascope.

"Brooke, honey. Just look at me. Everything's going to be okay. I'll be right outside and I'll be back as soon as I can."

Brooke nodded and opened her mouth slightly, but no words could be heard through her mask.

But Julian knew.

"I love you too, sweet angel." He said before the olderly escorted him from the room.

;

Julian sat with his head in his hands. He couldn't believe what had transpired tonight.

"Family of Brooke Davis?"

Julian jumped up.

"I'm her husband." He knew 'fiance' meant he wasn't really family yet. But the wedding was just a formality really.

He belonged to Brooke. If tonight didn't make that evident, nothing ever would.

"Okay Mr. Davis..." The older male doctor assumed. "Your wife is stable. A bit lethargic and we're giving her some extra oxygen, but all things considering, she's doing very well."

Julian nodded.

"I'm sending her for some chest X-rays and an MRI for her knee. And she definately needs a few stitches. We're starting her on some antibiotics for any possible infections just as a precaution. We're going to keep her here for observations for at least the next 48 hours."

"I heard someone say something about pneumonia..." Julian asked.

"Brooke is at risk for aspiration pneumonia, and in examining her, I do believe there is some extra fluid still in her system. That's why I want to get a good look at her lungs to see if there is anything that we need to get rid of. But we have no reason to believe that she's going to develop any infection."

"But she could..."

"Your wife is in good hands, sir."

;

Julian found his way into a new room. This one wasn't in the middle of the ER, rather, it was the normal in-patient room Brooke would be spending 'at least the next 48 hours' in.

Brooke's eyes were closed. After a full hour of tests, he was hoping she'd be back to her normal happy self, but she still looked so fragile and pale.

She was in a hopsital gown now and she was wrapped up in blankets. Her hand's IV was hooked up to a myriad of fluid bags and she was wearing a nasal cannula.

Julian pulled the chair up to her bedside and sat down, taking her hand in his. He rubbed his thumb over the tape securing her IV.

Brooke's head turned and her eyes opened. She smiled as best she could.

"I'm glad they let you come back." Her voice was even raspier than usual.

"I hated being away from you." Julian tried to suppress his emotions, but he couldn't anymore. Tears started flowing from his eyes and he dropped his head down until it touched the blanketed bed.

"Julian..."

"Please. Don't ever leave me. Don't ever let me go through anything like that again. I was so scared."

Brooke rubbed her fingers softly through his hair and down the back of his neck, sending a shiver down his spine.

"I'm not going anywhere" she told him.

Then Brooke coughed.

Julian straightened his neck and back.

"Are you okay?"

All he could think of was that coughing was a possible sign of pneumonia...along with chest pain, fatigue, fever, shortness of breath, wheezing, excessive sweating, difficulty swallowing, and a rapid pulse... He had googled it on his phone, which Nathan had given back to him when they got to the hospital.

Oh yeah. While waiting to see Brooke again, Nathan, Haley, and Jamie arrived at the hospital. Haley drove Jamie here since she wanted him to be checked out by a doctor after she heard the whole story. And Nathan had driven Julian's car here from the scene, since Julian had literally jumped into the river after leaving his truck engine running with the drivers' side door wide open. Jamie was perfectly fine, aside from a slight bruise across his chest from the seatbelt; Madison was fine, too. They heard that Miss Lauren was perfectly fine besides a few stitches on her forehead, and Chuck's concussion was mild with a good prognosis.

"I'm fine, Julian. I promise. I'm just nervous about my knee."

Julian looked down to the bump in the blankets that was her pillow-elevated left knee.

"They said you need a few stitches..."

"I know. But the MRI might show that I tore something and need surgery. Our wedding is in a month, Julian. I can't be a gimpy bride..."

Julian gave s slight chuckle at the love of his life.

"It's all going to be okay."

He was adament on convincing her of that...and himself.

Brooke nodded.

"So what did they do while I was gone?"

"They put in my IV and did blood tests and put all these heart monitors on me. I didn't really like when they made me change into this gown..."

"Well you needed to get out of those wet clothes."

"I know but... i don't want anyone seeing the goods but you..."

Julian smiled. "I'm sure they've seen it all... other people i mean... so they don't really care about modesty."

Brooke nodded. "Then they brought me for the MRI and X-ray of my chest, too."

"I heard."

"So how long was I unconscious?" Brooke asked quietly.

"One second was way too long."

He didn't really want to tell her exactly how lifeless she had looked. He didn't want to relive it. He also didn't quite have a real sense of how much time had passed; for him, it seemed like an eternity.

Just then the doctor that Julian had met earlier came in with a collegue. "Brooke, your MRI revealed no tears, which is great. This is Dr. Thorton. He's a plastic surgeon; he's here to do your stitches."

"Okay." Brooke said bravely.

Brooke was tougher than him; he knew that. Julian knew he would be crying out if he was in her position. He has a bit of a low tolerance for pain... and a bit of a weak stomach. But he sat there holding her hand, locking eyes with her, mentally telling her how amazing she was and how priveledged he felt to have her love. Brooke is a trooper.

;

"Aunt Brooke!" Jamie bounded through the door, looking to see if his favorite aunt was okay.

"Hey buddy…" Brooke tried to smile through her exhaustion.

"How are you feeling, Brooke?" Haley asked, who stood behind her son, holding his shoulders. Nathan stood with his hands in his pockets behind Haley.

"Better." It was the truth, but it wasn't that convincing.

"I was really scared, Aunt Brooke. You looked really sick out on the bridge. And it's all because you were trying to help me."

"This is in no way your fault, Jame. I would do anything for you, you know that. But that's all over now. As long as you're okay, that's what's important."

Haley gave Brooke a sympathetic smile. She looked to Julian, who got the message. He stood out of his chair next to Brooke.

"Hey Best Man, I'm buying drinks in the cafeteria. Let's say we go get another round of root beers. Whatta ya say?"

"Sure. You'll be okay without your two favorite boys, Aunt Brooke?" Everyone smiled.

"For a little bit, I guess." Brooke played, winking at Julian.

"Sweet!" The J boys ran off together to give Brooke and Naley alone time. Nathan moved towards Brooke.

"I know this is _Baley_ time…so I'll go but I just wanted to tell you how thankful I am to have a guardian angel around like you for my son."

"Anytime, Nate." Brooke leaned in as Nathan kissed her hair.

"Thanks Davis." Nathan left the girls alone.

Now Haley moved and sat on the edge of Brooke's hospital bed.

"Words can't describe how much I love you Brooke Davis…soon Baker."

"I love you too, Tutor Mom."

"When I saw you on that bridge…and when Jamie told me what you did…-"

"You were there?"

Haley nodded. "Nathan and I pulled up in the car and saw Julian giving you CPR. Jamie thought you were dead and Julian was a mess…he was screaming and crying…" Haley stopped. She didn't know what Brooke could remember or what she should or shouldn't know. Tears fell down her face.

"Haley, I'm okay. I promise."

"You saved my son… There's no way I can repay your for that…"

"You don't have to. He's my godson and I love him like he was my own."

"I know that. But it's different when you sacrifice yourself to make sure he's safe. I'm sure it took a lot of convincing to make Julian leave you behind…"

"He loves Jamie too. There's no way we were risking Jamie's life."

Haley wrapped her arms around Brooke and Brooke leaned in to her.

"I'm going to find a way to repay you. Somehow."

"My offer to take Jamie off your hands when the new baby comes still stands… unless I can have this one…" Brooke joked, placing a hand on Haley's growing baby bump.

;

For the next two days, Brooke feels so antsy and voices that she is beyond ready to go home every chance she gets, but Julian's not so sure. Brooke tries to seem all-together but Julian knows her. He sees past the front she puts on and catches her stumbles. He sees moments when the sink water goes on and she flinches. She's been avoiding showering like the plague, trying to make a sexy joke about wanting a sponge bath from him. Julian knows shes pushing herself too hard and too fast when she wakes up with a startle followed by a small scream. He comforts her, takes her in his arms and reassures her. But she pushes him away, insisting she's fine.

When the doctor examines her for one final time, he says she's out of the woods in terms of infection. Her stitches look clean and her lungs look good.

She's lucky.

They set up some follow-up appointments and he discharges her. Somehow, Julian feels worse when she's released.

"_Get me with those green eyes baby as the lights go down. Give me somethin' that'll haunt me when youre not around. cause I see sparks fly whenever youuuu smile_." Brooke had been singing that Taylor Swift song for a few days now and now she was singing it on the car ride home. He was curious as to why it was stuck in her head. She loved the new T. Swift CD but she was tuck on that one song. Little did Julian know, she sang that song because it was all she could think: the flying sparks in the road from the fallen power lines from the storm that night. The ones that caught her eye when she first saw the car wreck that Chuck pointed to; the ones that startled her right outside the car as she tried to cut the seatbelt to free Jamie; the ones that had causes the on-coming car to swirve and hit Miss Lauren's car, sending her and Jamie over into the dark rising water where she almost drowned and died.

"It's pretty nice out today."

"Yeah. Do you think we could go to the rivercourt or something? We could take a walk or have a picnic?" she commented, taking a break from her song.

"Maybe next week, babe."

Brooke turned to him. "You're not my parent, Julian. You can't just tell me what I can or can't do."

"I get that you've been restless but the doctor said to take it easy."

"Walking in the park for a bit is still taking it easy. It's not like I'll be running a marathon or anything."

"I don't think that's the best idea."

"Uhhhh." Brooke leaned back in the passenger seat, annoyed.

They drove the rest of the way home silently and she quickly got out of the car when they got home. She tried to make it to the door on her own, but Julian was quick to get to her side. She didn't want his help but he gave her no choice.

"Home sweet home" Julian said.

Brooke looked around and saw a big 'Welcome home Aunt Brooke' sign hanging over the mantle. There were cards from Jamie and flowers from Nathan and Haley, Mouth, Miss Lauren, and Quinn.

Brooke smiled a true smile for the first time since the accident. She grabbed Jamie's cards and sat down to read them.

"Do you want some coffee? Or something to eat?"

"Coffee please." Brooke said without looking up from the card. Brooke read his long messy message about thanking her for finding him and helping him. He said how scared he was when he thought it was his fault that she was hurt. But he's glad Julian saved them both.

"This is the sweetest thing. I didn't think I could love him more…"

"I know."

"Did you read this?"

"No, silly. I've been with you for three days with you. He made me one too that he brought to me at the hospital."

"What did yours say?"

"…Pretty much the same as yours. Thanking me for saving him and for making him my best man."

"Awww I forgot about that…" Brooke looked down. "You're so good to him."

"He makes it easy." Brooke nodded.

"Well mister... You should go wash up since you've been at the hospital for days."

"I should be saying the same to you. Why don't you go take a nice warm shower."

"You can go first." Her hands suddenly became very interesting to her.

"I can wait. I showered in the nurses' lounge. Don't be mad, but I had to flirt my way in…" Julian's grin appeared, trying to lighten the mood. "Brooke…"

"I don't think I can."

"Or maybe a bath? We can make it Julian's spa for the night."

"No. I definitely can't do that." She closed her eyes. A tub of that much water would feel like she was back in the car all over again.

"The water's making you anxious, isn't it?"

Brooke didn't answer but he obviously knew the answer was 'hell yes!'

Julian moved so he was sitting next to her. He grabbed her legs gently and moved them so they were laying on his lap. He caresses his hands over her sweatpants. His long arm moved to her face, and lifted her chin to look at him. He saw her eyes getting red and her eyes watering.

"I don't want to be weak." She got out before the fear consumed her. She sobbed and Julian brought her into his chest. The shaking of her small body folded into his reminded him of the moments after she coughed up the water she had consumed. And he was back there, in the rain, with her struggling to catch her breath.

"Breathe baby. Come on."

He repeated the words that he said to her that night. He didn't know if she'd remember them.

"You're the strongest person I know, Brooke. You've never been weak. You risked your life to save Jamie and Lauren and Madison. You were super-woman. Jamie told me everything you did. Including the part about you being a concerned mom towards Chuck when you knew he needed a doctor."

The word mom caught her attention. She only did what any adult would do for Chuck, Jamie, and Madison. That didn't make her a mom.

Julian continued. "You aren't weak Brooke. You were trapped. There was nothing you could do."

"I mean now… I'm so afraid. It all comes back to me. I relive when I said 'I love you' and my last breathe above water; when you tried to give me air underwater and when I realized my next breathe was going to be the water…"

Julian didn't hear her 'I love you'. He must have been underwater. That damn crowbar.

"You're not alone in this Brooke. I relive the moment I saw your eyes glazed over every time my eyes close…I never want to see you unconscious or hurt ever again. I have never been so desperate in all my life to get you back. And when you weren't responding to CPR… I was losing it."

Brooke looked up to him. She finally realized that he was doing the same thing as her… putting a wall of happiness up to distract people from the fact he was breaking. It dawned on her that, just because he hadn't been hurt that night, didn't mean he wasn't mentally affected. She tried to picture the scene in her mind, Julian carrying her out of the water, Jamie being scared watching Julian do CPR, Julian having a panic attack when it didn't work right away.

They were both broken.

Brooke shifted in her seat, which happened to be on top of Julian. She moved to the standing position, careful not to put too much pressure on her swollen knee.

"What are you doing?"

Brooke reached out and cupped his cheek with her hand.

"Take me to bed, Mr. Baker."

Julian gave her a confused expression before a smile. He quickly threw his arms around her and scooped her up. Brooke carefully wrapped her legs around his waist and giggled playfully. Her bright expression changed when she realized where Julian was walking. And it wasn't into the bedroom.

"Julian, no."

"Trust me."

Brooke shook her head.

"I don't want to do this."

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do."

When Julian stopped walking, Brooke let her legs drop down to the tile floor. She stood still as Julian started the water in the shower. She stood still, unable to move. Julian quickly discarded his clothes and stood in front of her with only black boxers. He got into their large shower and stood under the water. He extended his arm towards her.

"You need to do this, Brooke… You can do it. "

Brooke took a big breath before undoing the tie on her sweatpants and letting them drop to the floor. She took off her sweater over her head as well. Brooke stood there in only a white tank top and her bikini-style red underwear. She pressed on her sinuses with her fingers before finally stepping towards him. He took her hand and brought it to his bare chest. She felt his heart beat strong beneath his skin. She felt the water hit the back of her hand and her arm. Julian shielded her from the water with his larger frame so he was the barrier between her and it. They wrapped their arms around one another in embrace and Julian could feel her tremble.

"The water won't control you. You control you, Brooke. You can take control of it. It's what you're doing right now."

"I know that now." Brooke talked into his chest, gazing up at him and the water hitting his back. "Thank you for saving me."

"Thank you for coming back to me. Because really, you're the one that saves me."

They both knew that together, they could finally learn to breathe again.

;


End file.
